Three Books Mentioned in My First Post

This is a REPOST… I have been traveling the past few days (went to North Carolina to visit some family). So, I thought it would be good to share the post I began my blog with since I just passed the one month anniversary of starting my blog (I know, that’s not very long but many blogs don’t make it a week and some of you probably didn’t see this one). If any of my posts have blessed you share them with others. Thanks!

Ok, this is my first post (after reading Start by Jon Acuff I decided to punch fear in the face and start this blog). For those of you who know me well you know that one of my top 5 strengths according to StrengthFinders is LEARNER (the other 4 are Achiever, Discipline, Belief, & Responsibility). If you’ve never taken this assessment give it a try (I’ll share more about it on another day)…  I love to learn but I also love to share what I’m learning (or in this case at least share 3 resources that can help us all grow and learn). So, that is what I intend to do with this blog: share 3 resources on 1 topic 2-3 times a week. From time to time I might share a few things I’ve personally gleaned from them but for the most part I simply want to get the resources in front of you and let you discover some things along the way.

These 3 books are must reads for the person who desires to grow into the person God created you to be (the descriptions are from the author or publisher). Check them out and let me know what you think:

• Start by Jon Acuff | @JonAcuff

Growing up, we dreamed. And our dreams always painted the portrait of the adult us living an awesome life… as an astronaut, a pro wrestler, a movie star, a bee keeper, or insert your dream here. We don’t set out for average. But that’s exactly where we end up after listening to our fears day after day, year after year. Our dreams take a back seat and eventually are left stranded by the side of the road.

That’s why I’ve written Start. Your dream is calling, and it’s closer than you might think. It’s time to go after your purpose. Every awesome life goes through five stages. Learn what they are. Do them. Start.

Note from Erich: as I mentioned above, this book challenged me to punch fear in the face and start this blog.

• Wide Awake by Erwin McManus | @erwinmcmanus

The alarm sounds. Your feet hit the floor and carry you into another day. But what does that day hold for you? Will you be punching your card at work, catching up on TV at home, and crashing into bed before you rinse and repeat the next day? Or will you dare to dig deep and discover the incredible potential lying dormant within us all?

In Wide Awake, renowned speaker and church visionary Erwin Raphael McManus challenges us to put an end to all the sleepwalking and settling, for each of us was created by God for a reason. He has called you to live as Jesus did—a heroic life, void of monotony, teeming with danger, adventure, and the unknown. Living wide awake is about realizing that the world desperately needs you to live up to your potential.

There is a future that needs to be created, and it is waiting for us all to wake up and get out of bed. The alarm has sounded, and it is time to shake off the slumber.

It’s time to live, to create, to imagine, to dream . . . Wide Awake.

Note from Erich: when I read this book a few years ago it gave me the courage to self-publish a book I had been carrying around for sometime. So, one Thanksgiving weekend while sitting at my dad’s kitchen table I took a risk and published this book via Lulu (you can download it for free if you want to check it out, if so, let me know what you think): Where Is the Hope?

• Prototype by Jonathan Martin | @renovatuspastor

Remembering God’s love every single moment, left Jesus free to be human in a way nobody else had been before. Is it possible that in this one thing, Jesus could be showing us everything about being human in the way God intended?

In Prototype, Jonathan Martin creates a vivid understanding of what it means to be beloved by God. To completely trust, as Jesus did, that God loves you. To live life without fear, confident in your identity and purpose. To handle life’s wounds as Jesus did, and to wake every day with a deep awareness of God’s presence.

Note from Erich: I discovered Jonathan Martin’s Podcast (Renovatus Church in Charlotte, NC) last year when I heard Steven Furtick (Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC) describe him as his favorite preacher. You should podcast both of these guys (amazing messages every week).

Your turn… Share 3 books that have impacted you and encouraged you to truly live the life God called you to live.

Three Sermon Podcasts You Will Enjoy

Let me say right up front that it was hard to narrow this list to 3 so I’m sure I’ll share a few more in coming weeks (I’ve mentioned a few of them at the bottom of this post if you want to check them out too). I listen to about 20 different podcasts on a regular basis (I know, I’m weird like that). The Carolinas are represented well in this list as 1 is from South Carolina and the other 2 are from Charlotte, NC. I’m going to exclude my preacher’s podcast (Rick Atchley @ The Hills) from this list since I listen to him live every week. If you don’t you should add him to your playlist (I highly recommend his recent series on Revelation, probably the best I’ve ever heard on that book). So, without any further ado, here are the 3 I think you would enjoy listening to on a regular basis:

• Perry Noble from NewSpring Community Church (Anderson, SC)

Perry is the founder and senior pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina (a multi-campus move of God on a mission to reach more than 100,000 people in SC). He is a gifted communicator and teacher, convicted about speaking the truth as plainly as possible (he can be very blunt and his messages are full of humor and truth). God has given him a vision and a passion for helping people meet Jesus, and each week he shares God’s word and its practical application in our daily lives. His first book, UNLEASH, is also a great read. Check this series out first: Adam & Eve. His next series that begins on July 14 is called REDNECK.

• Steven Furtick from Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC)

Steven is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church based in Charlotte, NC. He is also the New York Times® Best Selling author of Greater and the national bestseller Sun Stand Still. You’ll enjoy his books and messages. Check this series out first: The Expectation Gap. For a unique message that is compiled from talks Steven has done around the world this past year check out Pound the Ground.

• Jonathan Martin from Renovatus Church (Charlotte, NC)

Jonathan leads the liars, dreamers, and misfits of Renovatus: A Church for People Under Renovation, in Charlotte, NC, where he lives with his wife Amanda. He is the author of the book Prototype. I absolutely enjoy listening to Jonathan. I discovered his podcast one day when Steven Furtick mentioned him being his “favorite preacher.” He might become your favorite too. Check this series out first: A Song of Ascent (a series on David)

UPDATE, 9.11.13: Jonathan started a new series this past week called PARABLE. You really should check it out. Here is a description of this series: Jesus was the master storyteller, and you are invited to come and sit by the fire to listen to his stories.  These stories are full of wonder, intrigue, enchantment, truth, beauty…and layers upon layers of deep meaning.  These are startlingly human, three-dimensional stories that bring the kingdom of heaven into color in our real lives.  They are stories from a time that is not our own about people we do not know–and yet ultimately stories about us.  

You can watch or listen to all 3 of these guys from their church’s website or search for them on your favorite podcast APP (by the way, these guys preach anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour plus at times).

Your turn… What are some of your favorite sermon podcasts?

Here are some of my honorable mentions that I’ll say more about in future posts: Andy Stanley, Judah Smith, Craig Groeschel, Dave Clayton, Toby Slough, Chris Hodges, Robert Morris, John Ortberg, Erwin McManus, Mark Batterson, Jonathan Storment, Matt Chandler, and Tim Keller to name a few more (and make sure you check out Rick Atchley from my home church).

Related articles

• Three Books That Inspire You to Truly Live (resourcesforus.wordpress.com)

Three Books I’m Currently Reading

I love to read. I usually have 2-3 books going at once. Here are the 3 I’m currently reading (with descriptions from the publishers):

• God’s Favorite Place on Earth by Frank Viola

The premise of the book is simple and 100% Biblical: when Jesus was on the earth, He was rejected everywhere He went . . . from Bethlehem, to Nazareth, to Jerusalem. The only exception was the little village of Bethany.  The curtain opens with Lazarus, who is now ready to die, telling the incomparable story of Jesus’ interactions with him, Martha, and Mary. God’s Favorite Place on Earth blends drama, devotion, theology, biblical narrative, and first-century history. Within each narrative, the common struggles that we Christians face are addressed and answered.

Erich’s note: This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It won’t take you long to breeze through it but I imagine you’ll be thinking about it for quite awhile afterwards. The story is told in six parts from the vantage point of Lazarus. At the end of each part Frank has a “walking it out” section that helps us practically apply what we’ve learned. By the way, if you love the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus I would encourage you to also spend some time with these 4 messages by Steven Furtick from Elevation Church (the 4th one is by Jonathan Martin) —  The Expectation Gap

• Facing Goliath: How a Man Overcomes His Giants to Follow Christ by J. P. Jones

When it comes to their spiritual journey, many men feel defeated. Hindered by ‘giants’ they stand motionless feeling like wimps instead of warriors. Whether they feel intimidated, unmotivated or just downright out of touch with what it means to pursue a relationship with God, Facing Goliath offers help to every man who wants to overcome his giants and experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Addressing topics like intellectual doubt, fear, pride and selfishness men will find practical steps to discovering the answers to questions, of faith, salvation and spiritual growth.

Erich’s note: I’m just getting started with this one. I don’t know much about JP but I received this book from Kenny Luck, Men’s Pastor at Saddleback Church & founder of Every Man Ministries, due to our connections with Men’s Ministry. It looks like a book that will equip men to face their “giants” with courage. Each chapter includes a discussion page that looks great for personal reflection or small group interaction.

• The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker by Brad Lomenick

Are you a high-octane, energizing leader with big ideas and the skills to back them up? Do you help shape the hearts and minds of those you lead? In short, are you a Catalyst leader? The reality is that most of us want to be good leaders, but we’re not sure how to build those elements in a way that will deliver the most impact in our leadership.  The Catalyst Leader lays out the key elements and defines what it means to be a Catalyst and reveals the path for developing these elements in your own leadership skill set.

Erich’s note: Brad leads and directs a movement of young leaders called Catalyst. I’ve had the privilege of attending several Catalyst Conference’s (if you haven’t been to one you should make plans to attend one soon)  I’m looking forward to seeing what all I can learn and apply from this book.  A DVD-Based Study Kit is also available (looks like a great resource to take your team through).

Your turn… What are you currently reading?

Three Books That Inspire You to Truly Live

Ok, this is my first post (after reading Start by Jon Acuff I decided to punch fear in the face and start this blog). For those of you who know me well you know that one of my top 5 strengths according to StrengthFinders  is LEARNER (the other 4 are Achiever, Discipline, Belief, & Responsibility). If you’ve never taken this assessment give it a try (I’ll share more about it on another day)…  I love to learn but I also love to share what I’m learning (or in this case at least share 3 resources that can help us all grow and learn). So, that is what I intend to do with this blog: share 3 resources on 1 topic 2-3 times a week. From time to time I might share a few things I’ve personally gleaned from them but for the most part I simply want to get the resources in front of you and let you discover some things along the way.

These 3 books are must reads for the person who desires to grow into the person God created you to be (the descriptions are from the author or publisher). Check them out and let me know what you think:

• Start by Jon Acuff | @JonAcuff

Growing up, we dreamed. And our dreams always painted the portrait of the adult us living an awesome life… as an astronaut, a pro wrestler, a movie star, a bee keeper, or insert your dream here. We don’t set out for average. But that’s exactly where we end up after listening to our fears day after day, year after year. Our dreams take a back seat and eventually are left stranded by the side of the road.

That’s why I’ve written Start. Your dream is calling, and it’s closer than you might think. It’s time to go after your purpose. Every awesome life goes through five stages. Learn what they are. Do them. Start.

Note from Erich: as I mentioned above, this book challenged me to punch fear in the face and start this blog.

• Wide Awake by Erwin McManus | @erwinmcmanus

The alarm sounds. Your feet hit the floor and carry you into another day. But what does that day hold for you? Will you be punching your card at work, catching up on TV at home, and crashing into bed before you rinse and repeat the next day? Or will you dare to dig deep and discover the incredible potential lying dormant within us all?

In Wide Awake, renowned speaker and church visionary Erwin Raphael McManus challenges us to put an end to all the sleepwalking and settling, for each of us was created by God for a reason. He has called you to live as Jesus did—a heroic life, void of monotony, teeming with danger, adventure, and the unknown. Living wide awake is about realizing that the world desperately needs you to live up to your potential.

There is a future that needs to be created, and it is waiting for us all to wake up and get out of bed. The alarm has sounded, and it is time to shake off the slumber.

It’s time to live, to create, to imagine, to dream . . . Wide Awake.

Note from Erich: when I read this book a few years ago it gave me the courage to self-publish a book I had been carrying around for sometime. So, one Thanksgiving weekend while sitting at my dad’s kitchen table I took a risk and published this book via Lulu (you can download it for free if you want to check it out, if so, let me know what you think): Where Is the Hope?

• Prototype by Jonathan Martin | @theboyonthebike

Remembering God’s love every single moment, left Jesus free to be human in a way nobody else had been before. Is it possible that in this one thing, Jesus could be showing us everything about being human in the way God intended?

In Prototype, Jonathan Martin creates a vivid understanding of what it means to be beloved by God. To completely trust, as Jesus did, that God loves you. To live life without fear, confident in your identity and purpose. To handle life’s wounds as Jesus did, and to wake every day with a deep awareness of God’s presence.

Note: edited on November 21, 2016.

Your turn… Share 3 books that have impacted you and encouraged you to truly live the life God called you to live.